Chewing on thigh - fur biting

[Dignity]

Denali has started 'chewing' her thigh. She's chewed the fur off. I know some dogs do this, so I've started putting the bitter apple to stop her 'fur biting' - I'm just wondering if there's an underlying reason that some dogs do this or to put it bluntly - should I monitor her to get her to stop or should I set up a vet appointment?

[southern_girl09]

My dog done this too.. My vet called it a hot spot and told me to put neosporin (sp?) on it... I have been giving her lots of baths with a skin shampoo and her fur is growing back... its in the same spot as yours.

[Dobified]

Rudy does that too, always has. He reaches around and grabs his thigh. I asked the vet and he said to just bitter apple him.

Rudy seems to do it as an attention grabber.

[Aria]

could be an OCD problem, or it could be a flea... or it could be allergies.. as an underlying problem. If it does turn into a hot spot though best thing to do is shave the area and furr around it and away from the area, and put a topical ointment with cortezone in it to help reduce reddness and irritation while it heals.

[RoughCollies]

If it's allergies, try Natural Balance, Duck and Potato formula. We sell it at my store...NO! It's not just an excuse to see Denali more... Ok maybe it is!! But she is so darn cute! and soft! and loveable!

[Aria]

just be carefull with the Duck and Potatoes, if it is food allergies the dog can become allergic to that food over time, and you will hae to switch again. Also the D & P formula is very high in fat so watch her weight also...
Other than that though ( and the smell) the D&P formula is a very good allergy help starter.

[Moo]

I would either say allergies, or just a bad habit.

Kirby has seasonal grass allergies, it causes an ugly, itchy rash in the pads of his paws. And since he was used to licking it, in attempt to soothe his pain, he began chewing himself in boredom.

You might want to dig in her fur to make sure that something hasn't bitten here, or something isn't stuck to her skin.

Bitter apple is a good idea.

[Dignity]

I've dug in her fur and haven't seen anything - I even checked the cats for fleas too - no fleas anywhere. I think I'll try neosporin and bitter apple and just monitor it for a few days. If she still is biting/itching - can a vet check for allergies or is it just best guess?

[Aria]

they have allergy testing but beware its very high priced. But its out there, you might want to try feeding her the diet for allergies... there are many out on the market, and mabey either Benadryl ( Dyphenhydromine), or hydroxizine ( wich is a stronger benadryle) these might help as starters to eliminate or at least reduce the itchyness that your baby is going through =) Just call your vet and ask him/her for oe of these items, they should be able to exsplin any side effects or anything you want to learn =) hope this helps ...

[NiveK]

you could also try putting some flax seed oil in the water dish, that reallly helped my bullies out with their hot spots and general itchy skin